


Strange things did happen

by Estelle



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-24 08:51:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9714146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Estelle/pseuds/Estelle
Summary: In which strange situations at work lead to an unexpected date.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My Eames Stupid Cupid gift for [ghostrepeater](http://ghostrepeater.tumblr.com/). The prompt was "weird" and I hope you like it! Happy Valentine's Day!
> 
> (The title is from "The Hanging Tree" from The Hunger Games, which immediately popped into my head upon reading the prompt.)

Something about the atmosphere seemed off, Eames just couldn’t put a finger on it yet. It should have been a totally normal team briefing: Cobb standing in front of them, explaining the job and occasionally writing things on the whiteboard, Ariadne nodding and already jotting down designs on her notepad, Yusuf only half-listening and probably going over some chemical equation in his head, and Arthur looking beautiful as ever, with his sharp suit, sleeves half rolled up - and didn’t that do things for Eames he really shouldn’t be thinking abut at a job meeting - and frowning intently at Cobb.  
That he could see that Arthur had picked up on the strangeness as well just by seeing the way his jaw was set and his eyebrows were slightly drawn together was probably a testament to how much time Eames spent looking at him, but he just couldn’t help himself. Sometimes he thought that Arthur was flirting back, other times he was sure he merely tolerated his presence.  
But whichever it was, he knew that Arthur was just as unhappy as himself with the situation right now.  
That was when it finally clicked. He looked back at the board and startled a little.   
“This is wrong!”, he exclaimed, interrupting Cobb, who had been about to write down a name. “Extraction from a child is wrong!”  
“What, no she’s…” Cobb started to say, but now Arthur was the one interrupting him. “Eames is right. She’s barely seven years old. I won’t do this.”  
He stood up and pointedly looked at Eames, who didn’t need time to decide and walked out with Arthur. If the point man wasn’t working on this job, he certainly wasn’t either.  
Cobb looked startled and like he didn’t know what to say, but Arthur just shook his head, and Cobb sat down heavily next to Ariadne.  
Outside the building, Arthur turned to Eames. “It seems I find myself with some time at my hands, and I have it on good authority you know London rather well, so care to show me around?”  
Eames smiled. “Oh, I certainly know the places you need to see, darling.”

He took Arthur to the antiques shoppes on Charing Cross road and the tiny Dim Sum place in Chinatown, where they only spoke Mandarin. Eames had known the owner for ages and wasn’t too proud to admit that this was where he had picked up the language. He wasn’t surprised, but slightly turned on, when Arthur ordered in perfect Mandarin, earning him approving looks from all the staff.  
At the end of the day, they went onto the London Eye. Eames knew that it was touristy and quite cliche, but seeing the lights of the city from above was still worth it.  
Arthur leaned onto the railing next to him, closer than strictly necessary. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for taking me.”  
Eames grinned. “Not as beautiful as you, darling.”  
Unimpressed, Arthur raised his eyebrows, and shook his head, but it was obvious he was fighting down a grin. “That was terrible, even for you.”  
Eames shrugged. “Is it working?”  
At that, Arthur allowed the smile to take over his face. “Maybe.”  
Seeing the smile, Eames leaned even closer, and feeling brave, brushed a soft kiss on Arthur’s cheek, which caused the smile to deepen, showing his dimples.

Looking over the city he loved, holding the hand of the man he loved, Eames thought that yes, the day had started strange, but then again, stranger things had happened, and maybe, he found that he liked weird, if it led to things like this.


End file.
